Entertainment and information systems and related management networks for a remote video delivery system

ABSTRACT

A remote video delivery system transmits video and text from a hotel office to hotel rooms. A series of video players generates the video signals to modulators. The modulators transmit the signals on various frequencies. A system controller directs the signals from the modulators to the appropriate converter boxes within the rooms. An outside vendor runs a billing system to charge the guests for the video delivery without the need for involvement by the hotel staff.

This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/589,727, filed Jan. 22,1996, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,009,465, for which priority is claimed. Thisparent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to entertainment and information systemsand related management networks and, more particularly, to such systemswhich provide for communication permitting remote operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the hotel industry, there is a continual need to provide as manyservices for the guest as possible in the most convenient manner. (Theword "hotel" in this application refers to any multi-user establishmentincluding hotels, motels, hospitals, airplanes, etc.) In addition, thereis the continual need to provide such services to the guest in the mostefficient manner. (The word "guest" or "user" in this application refersto any user of the entertainment and information system describedherein.)

When video cassette players and tapes were introduced to the consumingpublic as a whole, some hotel establishments installed individual videocassette players in their guest rooms so that their guests couldprivately view movies. However, such arrangements were cumbersome andrequired the hotel guest to walk to the movie rental location in thehotel or elsewhere and rent the video. Then, upon viewing the video,such arrangements typically required the hotel guest to return the videobefore departing.

Subsequently, systems were developed which could disseminate movievideos from a central location within a hotel to the rooms of theindividual hotel guests as desired by the guests. Such systems weregenerally not developed or operated by the hotel establishment, but weredeveloped, installed and operated by outside vendors. An example of sucha system is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,947,244 and the correspondingU.S. Reissue Pat. No. 34,611. Such systems were inherently flawed inthat, among other things, they depended on the hotel for collectingrevenues from the guests and for providing assistance to the guests asrequired. In addition, such systems required that a large staff ofpersonnel be maintained to provide maintenance and other services asrequired.

In such prior systems, any charges generated by a particular room wereeither added to the hotel guest's bill electronically through aninterface with the hotel's accounting computer or were automaticallyprinted and manually entered by the hotel management onto the guest'saccount. Due to the expense of developing interfaces for every hotel'saccounting system, such automatic systems are often impractical and notuniversally utilized. The manual method often led to a failure to postcertain charges, and in some circumstances incorrect amounts werecharged by the hotel. In addition, unscrupulous hotel guests oftenfabricated problems in order to escape payment for services rendered. Asa result, vendors experienced substantial problems with accountadjustments and collections utilizing the prior systems. Moreover, insuch systems, the vendor was dependent on the hotel or managementcompany to reconcile invoices and to pay in a timely manner.

The limited resources and tight profit margins characterizing theoperation of smaller properties exacerbated the above mentioneddifficulties. Further, the transaction costs of dealing with theseproperties were high. That is, because of an almost universal absence ofsingle source property management, each hotel had to be dealt with on anindividual basis.

Maintenance for such systems was performed on a regular basis by thevendor who would normally send a representative to the hotel location tochange the selection of video choices and provide any maintenance whichmight be required. If there were a problem during the daily operation ofany particular system, the vendor would have to either rely on the hoteloperator to fix the problem or provide a service staff near everyinstallation. Of course, providing a maintenance staff near every hotelinstallation was so expensive that most vendors could not provide suchservices. Consequently, if a problem developed, the hotel would attemptto correct it or simply refund the movie system user's money. Even ifthe vendor were contacted in such situations, the vendor would typicallybe unable to provide any servicing of the system at the time unless aservice representative happened to be at the location. Thus, in themajority of cases, the system would be out of service for a significantamount of time, even if the problem were relatively minor and could haveeasily been fixed by a trained service person.

An additional limitation with these systems was that the only servicesuch systems provided to the hotel guest was the playing of videos. Suchsystems did not offer any services which required communications to anyremote location such as a local food delivery establishment. Therefore,there has been a long standing need for an entertainment and informationsystem that would offer additional services as provided by the inventiondisclosed herein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide anentertainment and information system in which the system's operation,service and maintenance may be controlled directly by the vendor at aremote central location.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide a point ofsale system which controls the presentation of video or audioprogramming, or the presentation or exchange of information, whereby theuser pays for the entertainment or service at the time of use withoutrequiring the involvement of the hotel.

Another primary object of the present invention is to provide anentertainment and information system which collects payment informationand automatically communicates the information on a periodic basis to acentral system for final processing.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide otherservices, such as direct ordering from local food vendors withoutadditional in-room hardware.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide anentertainment and information system which is easily and inexpensivelyinstalled and maintained, thereby making such systems applicable in awide variety of establishments.

Still another object of the present invention is to eliminate virtuallyall hotel management involvement in the daily operation of anentertainment and information system.

A further object of the invention is to provide for the maintenance andaltering of continuous promotional and advertising previews in a mannerwhich permits efficient customization for individual hotels.

To achieve the foregoing and other objects, the present invention isgenerally directed to an entertainment and information system includinga system controller which directs the connection of particular videos orother service items with individual rooms; a central operation forremotely maintaining and updating said entertainment and informationsystem; a central billing operation for processing transactionscentrally; and a communication link establishing communication betweenthe entertainment and information system and the central operations orother remote systems.

Additional objects, advantages and other novel features of the inventionwill be set forth in the detailed description, drawings and claims whichfollow, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art uponexamination of the following.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of the overall configuration of the presentinvention including the various individual system installations and thecentral operations in accordance with the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an entertainment and information system accordingto the preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the preferred converter and itscomponents.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the preferred headend controller andits components.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the preferred telephone accessory andits components.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the preview system in the preferredembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, the overall configuration of the multi-installationnetwork system is depicted including vendor controlled centraloperations 10 and multiple installations 20. The central operations 10includes operators 30, remote servicing terminals 40 and central billingoperations 50. Each installation 20 of the individual entertainment andinformation system 60 is located at a hotel or another similarestablishment. There may be any number of installations 20. Each system60 includes a number of users (hotel guests) which varies from time totime. Each individual user may contact operators 30 at the centraloperations 10 by establishing a communication link 80 utilizingtelephone lines or another communication network such as a privatehigh-speed network.

A user at a particular hotel installation 20 establishes communicationwith the central operations 10 by pressing a button on the accessorydevice associated with the telephone in the user's hotel room. Such abutton may be marked as "help" or by some other appropriate designation.As explained in more detail in the section entitled "Operations" below,by pushing the appropriate button, the telephone automatically dials acentral number to establish a connection between its line 72 and a line32 at central operations 10. Once an individual user establishes aremote communication link 80 to an operator 30 at central operations 10,the operator 30 may then assist the user as required.

If it becomes apparent to the operator 30 (or other central servicepersonnel including technicians, field service representatives andcomputer programmers, herein collectively referred to as "operators")that the particular system 60 requires service, the operator 30 may thenuse the remote servicing terminals 40 to establish direct links 80 withthe particular entertainment and information system 60. The serviceterminals 40 are provided with lines 42 which may establish links 80with lines 62 of the systems 60. The Entertainment and InformationSystem 10 communications are described in more detail in the sectionbelow entitled "Communications". As described below in "Remote Servicingand Maintenance", the operators 30 at central operations 10 may therebycommunicate with the particular system installation 20 and performdiagnostic operations and maintenance thereupon.

While the operators 30 are contemplated to be actual persons, the system10 could be modified to include an automated operator system. In suchembodiment, the automated operator system would include multi-line voicetechnology applications made by Dialogic Corporation. The automatedoperator system would be controlled by a programmed microprocessor whichwould query the calling user to obtain critical information that couldbe utilized to direct diagnostic tests. Such tests would be initiated bya microprocessor through the remote servicing terminals 40. It iscontemplated that such alternative system would include a voicesimulator for speaking to the users and an input device which wouldcomprise a voice recognition system or another form of input recognitionsuch as telephone tone recognition. The automated operator alternativemay also be configured to pre-process the incoming calls and thendeliver the call to a human operator.

The central operations 10 further includes central billing operations 50which receives and processes billing information from the variousinstallations 20. Each system 60 includes a special line 64 which maycreate a data link 80 with lines 52 of the central billing operations50. Such a link may be initiated by the individual system 60 or by thecentral operations 10. In the preferred embodiment, the system 60accumulates payment information and periodically links with the centralbilling operations 50 to transfer the accumulated information. Such asystem provides for automatic accounting of the multiple installations20. This aspect of the invention is described in greater detail in thesection entitled "Centralized Billing" below.

FIG. 2 depicts an individual entertainment and information system 60 asinstalled in a particular hotel establishment. As shown, the hotelincludes a number of rooms 90 for occupancy by users or hotel guests.Each room 90 includes a television 100, a telephone 101, a telephoneaccessory 102 and a converter box 110 which is coupled to a cable 134.The existing television distribution cable 134 connects each of theconverter boxes 110 to the installation's entertainment and informationsystem 60.

RF (radio frequency) modulators 135 operate to provide carrier signalsfor the video signals that the headend controller 180 routes to theinput of the respective modulator 135. Since each modulator 135 is setto a preselected frequency or channel, connecting a particular videocassette player ("VCP") 136 or one of the headend controller's 180 menugenerators 189 (shown in FIG. 4) to a particular modulator 135 resultsin the signal being transmitted over the cable 134 on the carrierfrequency of the particular modulator 135. In this manner, the system 60is not a dedicated frequency system (ie., a system where each remotetelevision is assigned a particular channel for receiving transmissions)but a flexible system based on the availability of modulators 135 andthe programmability of converters 110. The channel modulators 135 arereadily available cable television products which have been modified toalter the frequency positions of the RF carriers and to scramble thesignals by switching the carrier frequencies of the specific video andaudio signals. Alternatively, an active modulator 135 could be connectedto each VCP 136 and could be operated in a manner similar to theapproach (described below) which is used to operate the converters 110.

The coaxial cable 134 provides a multitude of channels and programmingto the converter boxes 110. In addition to the regular channels that aregenerally provided in any geographic area called the "non-premiumchannels," the system has a "preview channel," a "control channel" andseveral "premium channels" which are used to transmit movies and othertypes of entertainment to the rooms 90. Transmissions on the controlchannel are generated by the system controller 140 and are converted toRF signals carried at 74.4 MHz by a system driver of the headendcontroller 180. Transmissions on the preview channel are generated by apreview player 150 and are modulated by a preview modulator 160 to thepredetermined output channel (2, 3, or 4). The preview system isdescribed in greater detail in the "Preview System" section-below. Inorder to mix all of the channels which are provided by the system 60,two RF combiners are provided. The first combiner 170 combines thesignals from the various modulators 135 with the signals from thepreview modulator 160 and the RF control signal. After the modulatedsignals are combined by first combiner 170, the signals are amplified byamplifier 172. These modulated and amplified signals are then combinedby second combiner 174 with the regularly provided cable or satellitedelivered television signals 175, excluding either Ch. 2, 3, or 4, whichis filtered out at each location. These further combined signals arethen received by in-room converters 110, each of which selectivelyallows signals to be received by the television set 100 coupled theretoin a manner suitable for viewing.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the preferred embodiment of the converter 110which is located in each room of the hotel establishment and connectsthe television 100 to the co-axial cable 134 is shown in greater detail.The converter 110 includes a converter input 111 which is connected tothe co-axial cable 134; a converter output 112 which is connected to thetelevisions cable input; a program test port 113 for receiving commandsand programming information directly from a portable computer; and, aLED status indicator 114 which indicates the current operating status ofthe converter by flashing in predetermined patterns. As noted above, theconverter 110 receives a wide spectrum of signals at its input 111. Thesignals may be broken down into three general categories: (1) normal orstandard NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) television signalson Channels 2-59 currently (referred to as "non-premium" channelsherein); (2) scrambled NTSC television signals where the sound andpicture portions of the signals have been reversed by modulators 135(referred to as "premium" channels herein); and (3) control signalstransmitted in the FSK (frequency-shift keying) format centered at 74.4MHz.

The control signals provided at the input 111 are generated by thesystem controller 140 and then modulated by a headend controller 180system driver 184 (shown in FIG. 4). The control signals may includedata for changing the identification code of the converter 110 and datafor transforming a particular premium channel for delivery to the output112, among other things. Each control signal generally includes threeportions. The first portion is essentially an addressing portion whichcomprises an identification code relating to one of the multipleconverters 110. The second portion includes a control code which isdirects the particular converter 110 to perform a particular function.The third portion of the control signal includes data required toperform the particular function. It will be understood that many othertransmission formats may be utilized within the scope of the invention.In keeping with the above described control signal format, the "changeconverter identification" and the "play premium channel program" controlsignal formats are described next.

In order to change the identification of a particular converter 110, thesystem controller 140 sends a control signal over the cable 134 whichgenerally comprises: (1) the command code for initiating a change ofidentification code; (2) the current identification of the converter110; and (3) the new identification code for the converter 110. Ofcourse, in such an operation, the new identification code is stored inthe memory of the converter 110 and that converter will henceforthrespond to command codes preceded by the new identification code. Thereason for changing the identification code of a converter and themethod for executing such a change are explained below.

When a user selects a premium program, the system controller 140 sends acontrol signal which generally comprises: (1) the identification of theselected converter 110 to receive the premium program; (2) the commandcode for switching of the converter 110; and (3) a divisor or tuningfactor for selecting the input channel from among the premium channels.

All signals which are present at the input 111 of the converter 110 areboosted by amplifier 115 to improve signal quality at the output 112 ofthe converter. After being amplified, the signals pass to a directionalcoupler 116 which provides a coupled signal to FSK demodulator 117 whilepassing the actual signal to a low loss resistive power splitter 118.The coupler 116 of the preferred embodiment is a surface mount ferritetransformer device although those skilled in the art will appreciatethat many other equivalent devices could be utilized.

The FSK demodulator 117 includes a bandpass input filter and ademodulator circuit. In the preferred embodiment, the band pass filteris tuned to 74.4 MHz with a band width of 2 MHz. After being filtered,the signals are transferred to a demodulator circuit which initiallytranslates the signals to an intermediate frequency (IF) of 10.7 MHzwhere they are further filtered to remove undesired noise and signals.Then, the signals are demodulated through a quadrature detector whichprovides a buffered and demodulated signal. The demodulated signal isthen shaped through comparators to produce a CMOS compatible signaloutput. The output is coupled to the converter controller 119.

In addition to coupling signals for demodulation in FSK demodulator 117,the coupler 116 also allows signals to pass to the resistive powersplitter 118. The splitter 118 divides the passed signal into threeseparate signal paths. As will be explained in detail below, one signalpath is utilized to perform overload detection, another signal pathcouples the non-premium signals to the output 112 of the converter 110,and the final signal path is utilized to process the premium signals. Asshown in FIG. 3, the signal overload detector 120 receives one branch ofthe signals separated by the splitter 118. The detector monitors thesignals to make sure that the signals and, thus, the output 112 of theconverter 110 do not exceed the maximum power permitted by the FederalCommunications Commission.

The low pass notch filter 121 receives another branch of signals fromthe resistive power splitter 118. The purpose of the filter 121 is toattenuate the signals on frequencies relating to channels 60 and above(lower edge of band is 450 MHz) while passing those signals onfrequencies relating to channel 59 and below. It will be understood thatdifferent sets of signals could be passed by the filter 121. In thepreferred embodiment, a three section elliptic low pass filter design isutilized, although those skilled in the art would recognize that manyother low pass designs could be utilized. The signals passed by filter121 are delivered to FET (field effect transistor) switch 122 which willbe explained in greater detail below. The FET switch usually permits thesignals from the filter 121 to pass to the output 112 of the converter110.

The third branch of signals from the splitter 118 generally comprisesthose signals on the premium channels 60 and above which are modulatedby modulators 135. The signals are delivered to an image and low rejectfilter 123 which is essentially a counterpart to the filter 121. Thefilter 123 attenuates those signals at frequencies relating to channel59 and below and permits those signals present at frequencies relatingto channel 60 and above to pass without much, if any, attenuation.

After being filtered, the signals relating to channels 60 and above (thepremium channels) are delivered to the first converter 124. As notedabove, the modulators 135 scramble the signals they receive by invertingthe spectral sense of the video, audio and color carriers. The converter124 un-scrambles the signals present on a selected input channel andtranslates them to an IF centered at 924 MHz. The first converter 124has a first local oscillator which operates in the approximate frequencyrange of 1305 MHz to 1461 MHz and is phase locked by the synthesizer 125so that it has the capability to tune to input channels which range fromchannels 60 to 86. The exact operating frequency (i.e., the inputchannel) of the first converter's local oscillator is determined bydivisor factors with which the converter controller 119 retrieves frommemory.

The ceramic filter 126 is a low cost, three section, ceramic bandpassfilter with a center frequency at the IF, which is 924 MHz in thepreferred embodiment. The demodulated IF signal is next passed throughthe ceramic filter 126. Other mixing products, such as the oppositesideband signals are eliminated from the signal spectrum that appears asthe input to the second converter 127 by this filter 126, thus greatlyminimizing the generation of unwanted spurious mixer products.

The second converter 127 translates the IF signal centered at the IF tothe output channel frequency. To accomplish this, the second converter127 has a second local oscillator which is phase locked using the samemethod which phase locks the first local oscillator. Unlike the firstconverter 124, however, the second converter 127 does not invert thespectrum of the output signal, and thus the required signal orientationis maintained. The exact operating frequency of the second converter'slocal oscillator is determined by divisor factors that the convertercontroller 119 receives from the control signal.

The output from the second converter 127 is first filtered by lowpassfilter 129 to eliminate high frequency energy and then routed to theoutput FET switch 122. The converter controller 119 and the signaloverload detector 120 control whether the FET switch 122 passes to itsoutput port the signals received from the second signal path (carryingchannels 2-59) and the third signal path (carrying the selection chosenby the viewer). In appropriate instances, the converter controller 119of the overload detector 120 may activate the FET switch 122 to preventsignals from reaching output 112.

The converter controller 119 additionally monitors the operatingcondition of a number of the most critical circuits and circuitfunctions (such as the lock status of the internal tuning oscillators,presence of the FSK control signal, presence of an abnormally high inputsignal level, etc.). The presence of abnormal conditions which may bedisplayed by a unique flashing pattern from a green LED indicator 116.Under normal operating conditions the LED 116 will be "on" but notflashing.

The converter controller 119 further sends control signals to the PLLsynthesizers 125 and 128 to set the up and down conversion frequenciesfor the processed signals. As shown, the converter controller 119 iscoupled to the synthesizers 125 and 128 via bus 130. The preferredmanner of initially programming the converter controller 119 is by meansof a computer utilizing a 7 pin mini-DIN connector (not shown) which isconnected to the program test port 113. When connected to a computerwhich is set to operate in terminal mode, the mini-DIN connectorprovides a means by which to independently control and monitor theoperating parameters of the converter 110.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the converter box 110 is positioned in theradio frequency path between a wall outlet and the television 100. Noother connection to the television 100 is required. The converter box110 is not required to replace any of the functions of the television100 such as standard channel access, power, or volume. In addition, itis not necessary to mount the converter 110 on the television 100 and inthe user's view.

In order to display any of the channels filtered out by the converter110, the television 100 must be turned to channel 2, 3 or 4, dependingon whichever channel is appropriate for the given region. This channelis referred to as the "preview channel." In its default mode, theconverter 110 is configured to allow the previews from the previewgenerator 150, along with regular TV, to be routed through the FETswitch 122 to the television 100 prior to the converter box 110 beingdirected to convert any other channel. In this manner, once the userturns the television 100 to the preview channel for using theentertainment and information system 60, the television channel does nothave to be changed again.

Referring to FIG. 4, the preferred embodiment of the headend controller180 is a one piece multiple function device comprising a driver 184, aninfra-red controller 186, volatile memory 188, a menu generator 189 anda matrix switch 190. The headend controller 180 accomplishes thefollowing tasks, under control of the system controller 140: (1)function control of the VCP's 136 using simulated infra-red remotecontrol commands, (2) the generation of menu screens and (3) theswitching of menus, audio and video ("A/V") signals and control signalsto selected channel modulators 135. An RS-232 serial cable 191 couplesthe headend controller 180 to the system controller 140.

The system driver 184 converts the control data that it receives fromthe system controller 140 into an RF signal carried at 74.4 MHz. Theresulting RF signal is coupled by the cable 134 to the in-roomconverters 110 after it is combined with the regular cable televisionsignals.

The infra-red controller 186 includes multiple infra-red transmittersthat are coupled to the individual VCP's 136. When a command is sent tothe infra-red controller 186, the controller 186 retrieves theappropriate infra-red ("IR") codes that correspond to the command andthen sends the codes to the selected VCP 136. These codes are downloadedby the system controller 140 into volatile memory 188 at system startupvia the RS-232 serial cable.

The matrix switch 190 is provided with dimensions depending on thesystem's intended peak usage. In the preferred embodiment, the matrixswitch 190 is a 24×8 matrix switch. The system controller 140 can thusroute any one of 24 inputs to one or all of the 8 outputs. These inputsare divided into three groups in the preferred embodiment: (1) eighteenof the inputs are coupled to the VCPs' 136 audio and video outputs, (2)four of the inputs are hard wired to the text generators, and (3) two ofthe inputs are coupled to external video backdrop generators.

In the preferred embodiment, the menu generator 189 comprises textgenerators and video backdrop generators (both not shown). The textgenerators are piggy-back boards that plug into a main integratedcircuit board of the integrated headend controller 180. The textgenerators display text on a television screen 100. To generate a menuon a particular television 100 screen, the system controller 140commands one of the text generators to generate a message such as amovie list. The text is then combined with a video backdrop from one ofthe video backdrop generators, thus forming a menu to be displayed onthe television 100. To display the generated menu, the system controller140 routes the signal generated by the menu generator 189 through theswitch 190 to the appropriate modulator 135.

The headend controller 180 operates as follows when a user selects amovie for viewing. The system controller 140 receives the user'sdesignation via telephone 101 and accessory 102, the PBX 250, and theinteractive board 260 as described below. The controller 140 thencommands the headend controller 180 to start playing a particular VCP136 carrying the selected movie. After retrieving the appropriate IRcode from volatile memory 188, the headend controller 180 transmits thatcode to the designated VCP 136. If this command is not executed, anerror message will be generated. The error may be corrected eitherlocally, or by an operator 30 as described in more detail below. Inresponse to the commands of the system controller 140, the headendcontroller 180 also generates a control signal which is modulated by thesystem driver 184 and transmitted over the cable 134. The command isutilized by the intended converter 110 as described above to downconvert the appropriate signal. Thus, as the VCP 136 plays the requestedmovie, the generated video signal is routed to the appropriatetelevision 100 for viewing.

The current preferred embodiment of the telephone accessory is shown inthe schematic diagram of FIG. 5. The telephone accessory 102 includes amagnetic card reader 103, a microprocessor 104, a microprocessorcontrolled telephone signalling generator 105 (also called a "DTMFgenerator"), an EEPROM memory device 106, and pushbuttons (not shown).The accessory 102 utilizes the DTMF generator 105 to communicate throughthe telephone 101 in the particular user's room 90. Although the cardreader 103 is attached to the telephone 101 in the preferred embodiment,communication may be accomplished by a wireless means such as by awireless handheld card reader 103 in another embodiment. An embodimentof the telephone accessory 102 and the telephone system is described ina copending application Ser. No. 08/429,954, filed Apr. 27, 1995, whichis incorporated herein by reference.

Operations

Referring back to FIG. 2, the process of selecting a video is begunafter the user is directed either by previews on the in-room television100 or by cues at or near the in-room telephone 101 or television 100 toaccess the system 60 by pressing the appropriate button on the telephoneaccessory 102. The telephone accessory 102 then dials a predefinedextension. Codes for this extension are retrieved from memory 20. Thesecodes are then used to direct the signal generator 105 to produce tonesthat represent a telephone number to be dialed and connect the telephoneline 72 through the in-house PBX 250 to one of the lines 66 of thesystem 60. After connection is complete, the signal generator 105transmits the room's 90 unique identification code to the systemcontroller 140, by way of interactive board 260, which code determineswhich of the converters 110 connected to the room's 90 television set100 corresponds to the particular telephone connection. No furtheridentification signal is sent by the telephone accessory 102 duringselection of a video. The user is then cued by the system controller 140to depress appropriate buttons on the telephone 101. These tonesproduced thereby represent user responses to the controller 140 cues.

To generate cues, the controller 140 activates one of the menugenerators 189 and routes the generated menu through the headendcontroller 180 for modulation by the RF modulator 135 selected by thecontroller 140 from among those that are not currently in use. If amodulator 135 is available, then the menu is transmitted over cable 134on the channel that the selected RF modulator 135 is set for. Thecontroller 140 also provides a control signal on the control channelwhich directs the converter 110 in the user's room 90 to switch itsoutput 112 from non-premium channels to a premium channel which isreceived by the converter 110 on the channel of the selected RFmodulator 135, as described above. If all modulators 135 are being used,then the user is presented a voice message explaining that the system isunavailable and that he or she should try again later. The number ofsystem channels, or modulators 135 used is based on the peak usage andeconomic realities of each particular installation, thus providing aflexible system that can be scaled accordingly.

Once the user's in-room converter 110 is tuned to the RF channel thatthe system controller 140 has assigned and connected to the menugenerator 189, the controller then sends to the menu generator 189 adata file containing the available movies. This list is then displayedon the user's television 100. During these operations, the televisionset 100 remains on the preselected channel 2, 3 or 4, although theconverter changes the channel actually seen on the television 100 to thechannel of the RF modulator 135, as noted.

Next, the controller 140 prompts the user to push a particular button ofthe telephone keypad to indicate the user's selection. For example, theinitial menu screen may request the user to push "1" for adventures, "2"for dramas, "3" for comedies, etc. A tone is generated when a telephonekeypad button is pushed which is received by the interactive board 260and communicated to the controller 140. The controller 140 then controlsthe menu generator 189 to generate a new screen which presents the usera menu of movies from which to choose a movie by utilizing the telephone101. A dialogue continues until either a movie is played or the dialogueis terminated.

After a selection has been entered, the interactive communication board260 sends a voice prompt to the user with directions to initiate paymentby sliding a credit card through the magnetic card reader 103. Thereader 103 sends the user's credit card number and expiration date tothe interactive board 260. The controller 140 receives this informationand then determines if the card number is valid and not expired. If theuser's credit card passes the initial standard verification criteria,then the controller 140 starts the movie and sends a voice prompt to theuser explaining that the movie has started and that he or she shouldremain on the line to ensure that the movie is the same movie that wasordered. The user has sixty seconds to change or cancel the rentalselection. If there is a problem with the movie or the user chooses tocancel the movie, the user presses a key on the telephone keypad asdirected by a voice prompt. While the movie is started and the user isverifying that the movie is correct, the controller 140 contacts acredit card exchange system to verify that the user's credit card isvalid and to reserve the movie rental charge on the user's credit cardaccount.

The credit card exchange system will either approve or deny the movierental charge. If the charge is approved, the movie rental selectionprocess is completed and the movie is played to completion. Thecentralized approval process and detail settlement of such charges willbe discussed in more detail below in the section entitled "CentralizedBilling". If the charge is initially denied by the credit card exchangesystem, the movie will be interrupted. If the user is still on thetelephone with the interactive board 260, the user will be sent a voiceprompt explaining that the credit card was denied and that anothercredit card may be used or a cash payment can be made to the hotel'sfront desk attendant. If the user is no longer on the telephone with theinteractive board 260, the movie will be stopped and a message will bedisplayed on the user's television 100 explaining that there was aproblem with the credit card. The user will then be given the option ofpressing the movie button on the telephone accessory 102 again so thatanother credit card can be tried. This feature of the present inventionis discussed in greater detail below in the section entitled"Communication system".

To make a cash purchase, the user informs the front desk attendant whothen collects payment and contacts the system controller 140 to apply acredit to the user's room 90 by dialing the interactive communicationboard 260. When contacting the system controller 140, the attendantenters an appropriate function code, a password, and informationregarding the user's room 90.

When payment is approved and the user chooses not to cancel the movieselection, the interactive board 260 directs the user to hang up thetelephone 101 and the movie is played. At the end of the movie, thecontroller 140 directs the converter output 112 to switch back tonon-premium channels, with previews being displayed on the previewchannel.

It is noted that during the selection process, the user may be given theopportunity to join a movie already in progress if every copy of themovie is already being played. If the user elects to join a movie thatis already in progress, then the user's in-room converter 110 must betuned to the RF channel which the VCP 136 playing the movie is assignedto. To do this, the controller 140 issues a command to the user'sin-room converter 110 via the RF control data channel to tune to thesame channel that the selected movie is tuned to. The controller 140accomplishes this by retrieving the room's 90 identification which itreceived as a result of the user's initial contact with the system 60 asdescribed above. The controller 140 also retrieves the address of theappropriate video cassette player 136 from a system status file. Oncethe user's in-room converter 110 is tuned, the movie is routed throughthe headend controller 180 and eventually to the user's television 100.As demonstrated, only one channel is utilized to transmit the signals ofany particular video cassette player 136 at any particular time.Accordingly, more users may be accommodated over a given number ofchannels.

When the rented movie ends, the controller 140 must reset allappropriate hardware components to their normal non-playing states. Thisincludes switching the user's in-room converter 110 back to outputtingnon-premium channels, issuing commands to the video cassette player 136to stop playing and to rewind the movie, and updating RF channel statusin the system status file.

Although the current application employs VCP's 136, digital text andvideo backdrop generators as a menu generator 189, and a PC boarddigital video player as a preview player 152, other input devices couldbe employed. The following list of input devices provides an example ofjust a few of the input devices that may be used by this system. Thesedevices include digital or analogue devices, CD-ROM, laser discs, largecapacity file servers, DVD, disc drives, any devices capable of rapidstorage and retrieval of information or images (still or continuous,with sound or without), other on-site computers, and other externalnetworks or satellite networks which provide the same services remotely.

Similarly, although the present embodiment employs a television 100 asthe preferred output device, any device capable of transmitting audio,visual, sensory or multimedia data may be used. (The term data hereinrefers to any audio, visual or sensory data, information, or signals.)Smart TV's (or microprocessor controlled TV's), may also be employed asan output device. In the preferred embodiment, the system 60 is operatedunder the control of a microprocessor based computer 140, which computeris selected based on the capacity and speed required to serve theintended volume of users. However, to enhance system 60 performance,multiple computers may be used. For example, one computer may bededicated to handling remote communications while the other computercontrols the rest of the entertainment and information system 60.Furthermore, while the accessory 102 and converter 110 utilize PIC 16C84microprocessors in their preferred embodiments, other more powerful andflexible microprocessors may be utilized if economics so warranted.

In addition, the system 60 has the ability to offer a listing ofinformation relating to local merchants and to display this informationon hotel television screens 100. The system 60 can be configured todisplay a listing of all local food vendors, or categorical informationsuch as a listing of all Italian restaurants. The system 60 allows forselection of detailed information such as a display of menu items,prices, ordering information, etc. Based on the selections made by theuser, the system controller 140 may utilize PBX 250 to communicate withthe selected merchant to order goods or services for the user. Suchservices and goods would include such things as the delivery of foodstuffs, etc. Side features may be implemented in accordance with thefollowing disclosure concerning the communication features of thepresent invention.

The following is a detailed description of the preview communicationfeatures of the present invention.

Preview System

As explained in connection with FIG. 2, the preview generator 150provides previews comprising small clips of the feature films that areavailable for rent. A typical preview will be ten to twelve minutes inlength and will have seven or eight movie clips intermixed with avariety of miscellaneous advertisements, instructions, specialpromotions, etc.

FIG. 6 shows the configuration of the preferred embodiment of thepreview system in greater detail. The microprocessor controller 151 iscoupled to a CD-ROM player 152 and a hard drive 153. A decoder 154 iscoupled to an interface 155 which is coupled to modulator 160 formodulating the signals provided by the preview generator 150.

Previews are stored as individual files in the memory 153 of the previewgenerator 150 in a compressed format. Compressing the A/V (audio/visual)data permits the data to be stored in segments small enough to fit on astandard computer storage medium. The preferred format is the MotionPicture Expert Group ("MPEG") format which is an industry standard fordigital video sequences. The preferred memory device 153 is a hard discdrive, although the memory 153 may be an electronic, magnetic or opticalmemory device.

At the direction of the CPU 151, the compressed audio/visual ("A/V")data files are retrieved from the memory 153 and decompressed. In thepreferred embodiment, the decoder 154 utilizes a hardware board drivenby software sold by Optibase called PC Motion to perform thedecompression of the digital data. After the A/V data file isdecompressed, the data is transmitted to the modulator 160 throughinterface 155. Once a particular preview file is accessed from thememory 153 and played, the CPU 151 controls decompression andtransmission of the next data file in a predetermined sequence.

The master CD is initially encoded at a professional production facilitywith a variety of segments or clips which may be used at a particularinstallation 20. Then, during the monthly tape exchange process, themaster CD-ROM disks may be provided to the CD-ROM players 152. Ofcourse, any particular installation does not utilize each of the fileson the master CD-ROM. Instead, the remote servicing terminals 40 (seeFIG. 1) are utilized by the operators 30 to direct the system controller140 as to which of the previews on the master CD-ROM disk should be readand stored in the hard drive 153. The servicing terminal 40 furtherdirects the system controller 140 as to the order in which the files areto be played by the preview generator 150. The information regarding theappropriate files for each system 60 and the order that the files are tobe played (the "programming information") is stored as profile data inthe hard drive 153. It is noted that the programming of the systemcontroller 140 in this regard may be performed by a human operator 30 orit may be done automatically.

In operation, the CPU 151 of the preview generator 150 retrieves thecompressed audio-video file stored in memory 153 and sends it to thedecoder 154. The decoder 154 expands the compressed data and sends theA/V signals via interface 155 to RF modulator 160. The modulator 160transmits the RF signals through the hotel CATV cable 134 on thedesignated movie preview channel (channel 2, 3 or 4). Any television 100tuned to the preview channel will see the preview clips as they aredecoded and transmitted. As soon as one preview clip has ended, thesoftware opens the next file and plays it. When the last MPEG file inthe sequence has been played, the process is repeated, thus creatingcontinuous preview playback.

In keeping with the invention, the preview generator 150 includes theability to advertise for local merchants, such as food vendors. Thesystem can provide audio visual advertisements on television 100 eitheron request or as part of the movie preview process. In either event. Theinvention allows efficient customization of preview presentation atindividual installations 20 by storing A/V information in digitalcompressed format. In particular, the system controller 140 at eachparticular installation 20 selectively controls which information is tobe read from a master CD having a large variety of preview clips andthen stores the information in the hard drive 153 for playback.

Communications

The system controller 140 of each installation 20 is provided with thecapability to communicate with remote systems. In particular, acommunication module is provided which coexists with the systemapplication software and enables the system controller 140 to performmultitasking functions without interrupting the running processes.

In operation, an incoming call to the entertainment and informationsystem 60 is automatically answered by a modem which is provided on line62. When a call is received, a hardware interrupt is set indicating tothe system controller 140 that an operator 30 is trying to connect. Oncethe modem connection is established between the remote system and thesystem controller 140, the responsibility for managing thecommunications between the two systems is transferred to thecommunication software module. The module is aterminate-and-stay-resident ("TSR") program which remains idle until anincoming call is received by the modem of the entertainment andinformation system 60. When the controller 140 receives an incomingcall, the communication module requests that the calling system 10provide a password. If the calling system 10 does not send the expectedpassword within a predetermined time, the communication moduleterminates the connection.

If the calling system 10 does supply the expected password in time, thecommunication module permits the calling computer to perform a number offunctions including remote servicing and maintenance. In addition toproviding for response to incoming calls, the communication system mayinitiate calls to remote operations such as in connection with billing50 described in the section entitled "Centralized Billing" below.

Remote Servicing and Maintenance

In the remote servicing and maintenance mode, a service representative30 may use the communication module to perform diagnostic and remoteservice on the entertainment and information system 60. In addition, theremote control mode may be utilized by any technical support personnel30 who needs to monitor the activity of a particular entertainment andinformation system 60, or generally by any type of operator 30 for anyreason.

Periodically, a user may have difficulty renting a movie and may wish tospeak to a service representative for guidance. In other situations, theuser may notice a problem with the entertainment and information system60 which he or she wishes to report. In the preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the user may press a button on the telephoneaccessory 102 which automatically dials a toll-free number and connectsthe user to a service representative 30. The service representative 30may be able to assist the user over the telephone 101 or may decide thatthe particular entertainment and information system 60 must be contactedutilizing the remote servicing terminals 40.

As indicated above, once connected to the system 60, the servicerepresentative 30 can remotely probe the system controller 140 toperform diagnostic operations. For example, in certai instances thehotel management may move a particular telephone 101 and accessory 102from one room to another without informing the vendor. Because thesystem 60 relies on the identification code stored by the telephoneaccessory 102 to locate the particular room in which to send informationor entertainment, the system 60 will send the entertainment andinformation to the wrong room 90 if the telephone accessory 102 ismoved.

There are two methods of performing maintenance operations remotely. Thefirst method utilizes the communications software module which allowscentral service terminals to connect to and take control of theentertainment and information systems 60 at remote locations. The secondmethod allows central service representatives to contact the hotel frontdesk and request to be transferred to the interactive (Dialogic PCB)board 260. Using voice prompts and the telephone keypad, the centralservice representatives are able to perform system queries andmaintenance. The second method is an alternative to the first method. Inthe event that the modem is not functioning or the modem telephone lineis not functioning, the system 60 can still be controlled remotely usingthe interactive board 260.

In diagnosing a problem, the service representative may use the remoteservicing terminals to control the system controller 140 to sequentiallydirect the converter boxes 110 to display a menu image generated by aparticular menu generator 189. Procedurally, the operator 30 commandsthe system controller 140 to set a menu generator 189 to an availablefrequency. Then, the operator 30 directs the system controller 140 tosend control commands to each of the converter boxes 110 sequentiallyuntil the menu appears on the users television 100. At that point, theoperator 30 is able to reprogram the system status file stored by thesystem controller 140 to associate the user's room 90 with the correctconverter 110 and the correct accessory 102.

Centralized Billing

As explained in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3, before a movie or otherservice is provided to a particular user, the system controller 140obtains authorization from the credit bureau. However, the entertainmentand information system 60 does not actually bill the user's credit cardcompany at the time of authorization. To complete the transaction andcause the authorization system to bill the user's credit card company, aseparate settlement transaction must be sent to the authorizationcompany which confirms the sale and posts the charge to the user'scredit card account.

As each authorization is obtained for each credit transaction, thesystem controller 140 stores the relevant information in memory. Thestored information includes the credit card number, the amount, theauthorization code and other information such as the date of sale. On aperiodic basis, the system controller 140 will utilize its communicationline 64 to establish a communication link 80 with central billing 50 ofthe remote central operations 10. In the preferred embodiment of thisinvention, the controller 140 communicates with central billing 50 totransmit the billing data files. After processing the data, centralbilling 50 automatically posts the charges to the individual creditaccounts. In an alternative arrangement, a service representative couldvisit the location of the system and download the billing information onsite.

The foregoing description of various preferred embodiments of theinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Obvious modifications orvariations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that orders may be placedat local merchants utilizing the operations described for centralbilling and a fax modem.

The embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the bestillustration of the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art toutilize the invention in various embodiments and with variousmodifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. All suchmodifications and variations are within the scope of the invention asdetermined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance withthe breadth to which they are fairly, legally, and equitably entitled.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for customizing preview programming forviewing at multiple local installation systems, wherein each of saidlocal installation systems compiles its own customized previewprogramming based upon commands received from a remote centraloperations, said method comprising the steps of:providing a masterrecord of preview programs which includes multiple preview programs;providing a data playback device for receiving said master record andcontrollably playing preview programs upon demand in association witheach local installation system; providing a system controller inassociation with each local installation system which periodicallyreceives commands from said remote central operations dictating theorder in which any number of said preview programs are to be played;coupling said data playback device to said system controller whereuponsaid system controller directs said data playback device to play saidpreview programs in the order provided by said central systemcontroller; transmitting said previews to monitors at a hotel forviewing by system users.
 2. A method for customizing preview programmingaccording to claim 1 wherein said said preview programs are stored incompressed format.
 3. A method for customizing preview programmingaccording to claim 1, said method further comprising the step ofdecompressing said preview programs.